15: Think, Then Move

“The world inside a picture book? There’s no such thing. And even if there was, there shouldn’t be.”

This kind of ridiculous thing couldn’t possibly happen.
Why should I have to go through something like this? Sure, I like the occult.
I’ve watched horror movies a bunch of times, peeking through my fingers in fear.
Was it my fault for turning the knob on a door that was never meant to be opened—just out of curiosity?
My fault… mine…

“This is the same park as before… Just a moment ago, I was being tied up by something, it hurt like hell,
and then I was dragged into the pages of a picture book.
Dragged right in…”

Calm down, I told myself. But the panic made even talking to myself hard.
And yet—part of me was already thinking, this would make a great story.
Was I just wired that way? Maybe the weird tension was messing with me. Priorities, Tom.
Calm down first. Accept reality. What’s done is done.

I slowly looked around. The usual park came into view.
The sun was setting. The clock tower near the plaza read 5:10 p.m.
Wait… a clock tower? Has that always been there?
Maybe I just never noticed it—always checking the time on my phone instead.

“Wait, my phone!! …Yeah—it’s still in my back pocket. Wallet too…”

The school uniform I changed into this morning was perfectly normal.
I’d come to this park with only my phone, my wallet, and… that picture book.
Nothing was missing. My memory was intact.
This morning, I’d had scrambled eggs. Then drank my favorite milk slowly.
Took a break to digest. Then came here, in a relaxed mood.
And sat on the bench where I was supposed to meet Rena—

“That’s right. Rena! Where is she?
Wait—it’s already evening?! Something’s wrong. Something is seriously off…!!”

My chest tightened. I felt sick. Something was terribly wrong.
My memories—or maybe my very thoughts—felt like they were drifting toward another dimension.

NEDD I BROF

“Gah…! Just now—a string of letters popped into my head…”

It was definitely English letters, but the meaning escaped me. Was it even English at all?
At least it didn’t trigger my usual allergic reaction to English.
Somehow, that gave me a little peace of mind.
While I still had it, I had to figure out my next step.

“Rena! I have to find Rena! She might be gone already since I totally bailed on our meetup… But still…”

Don’t think. Move. Just start walking. Move forward.